The Mission of Bellatrix Black
by skarm
Summary: After a spectacular failure in the Department of Mysteries Bellatrix finds herself under the scorn of her exalted master, Lord Voldemort. Thankfully given another chance Bellatrix is tasked with a mission that is deceptively difficult: Kill Harry Potter.
1. Of Kisses and Polyjuice

A/N: This story was written as a birthday present (Chapter 1 finished a few days after the day, unfortunately) for a friend of me. Though it was only intended to be a simple one-shot, it seems to have good potential. This means that while I'm not going to update it too often, unless there is a large amount of people wishing me to do so, I will continue to slowly add chapters to it. My main work will be the Post-HBP novel length fic I am going to begin writing shortly after this is uploaded. This story, however, is simply Post-OotP since I began writing this story prior to the release of HBP.

Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own any of the characters that appear in this story or the world itself. These all belong to JKR and her affiliates. I am merely borrowing them for some fun and as there is no profit being made, no copyright infringement is intended.

**The Mission of Bellatrix Black**

**Chapter 1: Of Kisses and Polyjuice**

"- But, but… my Lord!" choked the dark haired woman from her position kneeling on the floor. "Potter and Dumbledore! They…"

"Silence," a cold voice, devoid of emotion, replied. "You are a miserable wench, Bella. Four fifth year Hogwarts students and a couple of fourth years, and yet you and eleven others, my most trusted servants, fail in eliminating them and gaining what I desired? _Crucio!_" Voldemort said as his red eyes bored down upon Bellatrix Lestrange. A small and frightening smile spread across his face as he watched his most faithful servant wither in pain at the hem of his robes.

Bellatrix gasped for breath, shaking out of fear as the pain subsided from Voldemort lifting the curse. She said nothing, knowing full well that she had failed and any further comments would warrant a second embrace of pain from the Cruciatus Curse. Composing herself swiftly, she returned to her kneeling position at her Master's feet looking down at the floor to hide her tears from Voldemort. Such a weak and pathetic showing would only enrage the Dark Lord further.

"Alas Bella, though your failure is nearly absolute, I still have further need for you," Voldemort said, rising up from his throne-like seat and pacing back and forth. "Yes," he began as Bellatrix looked up to watch him pace, her tears having luckily gone unshed. "I don't dare send someone like Wormtail to do this. He lacks certain… enthusiasm for causing pain and of course Lucius and your husband… they are now in Ministry custody… which is a waste I do agree… and that will change soon, yes soon, Bella," Voldemort continued his pacing, his black robes billowing behind him every time he turned around, as he mused out loud. At last he stopped pacing directly in front of his servant and turned to her. "Rise, Bella," he commanded softly.

Rising to her feet quickly, she snapped to attention, "Yes, Milord?"

Voldemort smiled again, slightly, which caused even his inner circle to shudder, or at least, shudder on the inside as showing it would mean certain pain and possibly death. "Very good, Bella. I have decided that we must strike quickly to insure victory. I am quite certain that the old fool and his golden boy won't expect a strike so quickly. My spy, our dear Severus Snape, has also reported that Potter and Dumbledore aren't even speaking to each other anymore. It is, in essence, the perfect time to eliminate Potter himself." Voldemort gave this time to sink in. Bellatrix stayed silent, as always. Those in the Dark Lord's service learned quickly to never speak out of turn. "Snape has also informed me that Potter won't be staying out of reach for more than a day this summer. Apparently, my young nemesis feels the need to put himself in harm's way again to go stay with his friends… yes Bella, the Weasleys," he said, noticing the glint in her eyes. "I know you'd like a chance for some fun with them, and, once you complete the main mission, you are free to do with them as you wish. That, Bella, is our opportunity for victory, or rather, your opportunity for redemption and to regain my favor."

The woman stiffened slightly. "As you command, Milord," she replied swiftly.

"Good. Go and kill Potter by any means necessary," Voldemort said with a wave of his hand, signaling his dismissal.

Bowing obediently, Bellatrix Lestrange turned and headed towards the exit of the room. As she opened the door of the Riddle House's library, she heard Voldemort's voice calling after her. "Oh, and Bella, you know what will happen if you fail me again." Shuddering slightly, she stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Still not sure how she had escaped death, Bellatrix immediately made her way down the hall to the stairwell and headed down a flight of stairs to the landing between the second and first floors. She bent over at the middle, clutching her chest with her arms and let out a large shudder as the pain from the Cruciatus Curse still burning away the tips of her nerves. She knew that she was lucky to escape being on the receiving end of an Avada Kedavra in that meeting and had already promised herself not to fail in this task. She continued down the stairs, heading all the way for the large basement of Voldemort's ancestral home.

Bellatrix slowly edged open the old wooden door into the basement once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She felt a lump in her throat, which she fully expected given what she was about to do. Yes, she knew that she could torture people into insanity and kill people for her own amusement, but this was a task she wasn't looking forward too. She definitely did not want to ask Severus Snape for help.

Bellatrix Lestrange, though at the time Black, had been a single year ahead of Severus Snape at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though Snape had been part of a crowd of Slytherin students that had openly supported the Dark Lord during his first rise to power, which included her husband Rodolphus and her Brother-in-Law Rabastan, he was still quite a bit of an outcast and picked on by every house, though it was mainly by the Gryffindors.

On its own this wouldn't bother Bellatrix, but it became very apparent that in her sixth year, or Snape's fifth year, that the scrawny, outcast boy had a huge, for lack of a better word, _crush_, on her. Of course, being quite popular, she was already dating Rodolphus, who was part of the Noble and Pureblooded Lestrange family. Rodolphus could easily be considered the jealous type, though he had certainly never questioned Voldemort when the Dark Lord himself showed some interest in his wife over a decade earlier for fear of his life, and this tendency to protect what he thought was rightfully his would be the spark in a series of events that had led, in the end, to a huge grudge against the entire Lestrange family. Rodolphus had humiliated Snape in front of the entire Slytherin house, and then, a few years later, married Bellatrix and invited Snape to the wedding simply to gloat. It wasn't a surprise that even decades later, Severus Snape still held a heavy sense of loathing for everyone with the surname Lestrange.

"Do you need something, or are you simply trying to bother me?" snapped Severus Snape, who had noticed her arrival a second earlier.

Bellatrix shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts and returning her mind to the present. She had a very important job, which her life depended on, to complete. This was not the time to continue petty rivalries. "No, I've come to collect a potion I need."

Snape snorted, his face twisted into a cruel smirk, "And what thinks I'll help you, Lestrange," he replied coldly, barely moving his lips.

She waved her hand dismissively. "I don't have time for your petty grudges, _Snivillus_," she spat, clearly baiting him. Bellatrix took pleasure in watching Snape's jaw contort oddly and his eyes flash dangerously. Waiting until the Potions Master was just opening his mouth to retort, she smirked, "And neither does the Dark Lord." She moved over to a shelf containing a bunch of already brewed potions and selected one from the shelf. Turning to Snape and seeing that he was in silent fury, watching her every move, she flashed him a smile. "Thanks _Snivillus,_ I'll be sure to inform our Master about what a help you've been."

Severus Snape shot a look of the utmost loathing at the Lestrange's back as she excited the room before he turned back to his simmering cauldron, which was now emitting a cloud of black smoke. He swore to himself for his carelessness. "Curse that infernal woman for making me as poor of a potions brewer as Longbottom," he muttered through gritted teeth as he vanished the ruined solution with a flick of his wand.

* * *

"HARRY!" shrieked an excited voice. 

Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, was immediately tackled to the ground, causing him to gasp for air as his attacker hugged him savagely. He struggled to breathe as his nose and mouth were covered by long, red hair.

"Ginny, let him breathe at least," Ron Weasley panted, clearly out of breath as well.

They stood, or lay down painfully in the case of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, on the dusty path that led up to the Burrow. Ginny detached herself with a furious blush and helped Harry up to his feet.

"It's good of Dumbledore to let you come so early!" exclaimed Hermione Granger, who had just arrived on the scene slightly slower than the two Weasleys. "I mean we all thought you would have to stay with those rotten relatives of yours until your birthday-" she stopped mid sentence as she saw Harry glaring at her furiously.

"Don't talk to me about just how good and nice Dumbledore is to me right now," Harry mumbled as he looked down, trying to keep his anger from flaring up against like it had last night when he had returned to Privet Drive.

While Harry knew that Dumbledore had done things with his best interest in mind, sometimes that just wasn't enough. After an entire year had past, Dumbledore finally let him in on some information that he should have been informed immediately of, and even then the Headmaster had waited until after Harry had led himself and five of his friends off to the Department of Mysteries to get ensnared in a trap which resulted in the death of his godfather, Sirius Black, who had come to rescue him. It was, in Harry's mind, a betrayal of trust by Dumbledore. Here he, Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, and supposedly the only one to be able to save the Wizarding World by defeating Lord Voldemort, wasn't trusted with any crucial information despite everyone assuming that he would be the one to finally defeat Voldemort. It even went as far as Dumbledore refusing to meet his gaze and ignore him for over a year.

"Wotcher, Harry," said Tonks jovially as she came up the front walk from the muggle automobile they had taken from Surrey to Ottery St. Catchpole. She was carrying Hedwig's cage in her left hand and had Harry's trunk charmed to obediently follow along on her heels hovering just a few centimeters off the ground. "You may have to tame her someday, you know," Tonks said, nudging Harry in the ribs playfully with her free arm. Ginny's face went crimson, though it was hard to tell if that was from embarrassment due to Tonks' statement or her thoughts about just how Harry would tame her.

Harry barely reacted to the Auror's nudge. He was having a very hard time keeping his anger contained and he didn't want another repeat of his outburst like in Dumbledore's office. "I s'pose'," he said, gnashing his teeth quite expertly. Snape would have been proud.

"Oh dear," sighed Tonks, her mood dampening quickly. "Well, come on, let's go inside. I'm sure Molly is dying to see you again." With that, Tonks waved her wand forward and the trunk continued its movement towards the house. Harry inclined his head ever so slightly and began moving forward towards the Burrow as Tonks moved on ahead to whisper conspiratorially with Hermione and Ginny.

Ron moved over to his side and gently grabbed his upper arm, tugging him along towards the house. "Come on, mate. Mum will be going spare if she doesn't get to see you soon."

Harry nodded again and followed closely on Ron's heels while Hermione and Ginny were a few paces ahead, amiably talking with Tonks about boys and other girl stuff, such as make-up. He couldn't help but notice that Ginny's cheeks kept flushing pink, which caused him to smile ever so slightly.

While Ginny could break through his anger and cause him to smile without even trying, Hermione was not. _She doesn't even seem to care that I'm upset._ Harry quickly shook his head trying to clear that comment. The last thing he wanted was to act like he was the center of the world. _She's probably just upset that I nearly got her killed in the Department of Mysteries. Of course, she has a really good reason to be upset._ Before he could become gloomy he was crushed in another hug that caught him by surprise by a second red head.

When he was finally released from Mrs. Weasley's crushing hug after convincing her that he was in fact fine and had assured her that his last night at the Durselys had been surprisingly peaceful, he was allowed to head upstairs to the room where he would be staying which, surprisingly enough, would have him as the only inhabitant instead of sharing a room with Ron. With the departure of Percy and the twins, Fred and George, the Burrow was quickly gaining a lot of extra space.

When he entered his room, he noticed his trunk was already at the foot of his bed and Hedwig's cage was already positioned on the top of his dresser, but it seemed, judging by the distinct lack of anything white and fluffy in the cage, that Hedwig herself was already out enjoying flying around the countryside instead of being cooped up behind bars. Fred and George's room, though it had been cleaned since the twins moved out to live in the flat about their shop in Diagon Alley, still had many trademark scorches and burns around the walls, floor and ceiling. This caused Harry to smile slightly knowing that this is where the twins had begun inventing their joke products that eventually led them to their success. There was also a nice, cool breeze coming through the open window that overlooked the backyard of the Weasley's countryside property.

Gazing out the window, Harry was glad that he had a moment alone to collect himself. While he certainly didn't regret being angry at Dumbledore in the slightest, he knew it was out of place and downright rude to let his gloomy and wrathful moods carry over to the other inhabitants of the Burrow. The Weasleys had kindly let him stay there instead of letting him rot away in Grimmauld Place, where he would undoubtedly be flooded with painful memories of Sirius until it was time for him to return to Hogwarts.

He tried to swallow, but it got stuck in his throat as his thoughts drifted back to Sirius, his late godfather. He had tried not to dwell too much on Sirius during the last week as he knew full well that Sirius would be reprimanding him from above right now about grieving for him, but he still couldn't help himself to feel completely gloomy at times. Luna had helped shed some light on grievance before he had left Hogwarts, though, for which he was greatful otherwise he would have been far worse off than he had been when he stepped foot inside Number 4 Privet Drive. He sighed sadly and turned away from the window and began to move his clothes from his trunk and into his dresser, desperate to take his mind off of Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, he was given a pretty loud distraction from his current troubles.

"Well bloody hell, Hermione, if you didn't… didn't well… want it, why were you hinting at it!" thundered Ron's voice from just down the hall.

Hermione's reply was just as agitated, "I wasn't asking for it, _Ronald_! Perhaps if you knew anything at all about-"

"Oh, so I know nothing at all, do I?" Ron replied angrily.

Harry crept to his door and leaned out to peer down the hallway towards the source of the noise. He immediately was bowled over yet again, landing with a thud on his back, as Ginny Weasley rushed into the room before landing on top of Harry.

"Ugh…" was all Harry could manage as he tried to sit up, his head spinning slowly, but found he couldn't because of Ginny.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Harry!" the red head exclaimed quickly, before blushing furiously.

Harry shook his head back and forth to clear it from the spinning, and was immediately greeted by Ginny's blushing face just inches away from his own. "Uh, Ginny? Can you let me up… please?" he added, though truth be told he really wasn't sure if he wanted any distance between them.

Still blushing enough that the color of her face blended in nicely with her hair, Ginny pushed herself off of Harry and helped him stand back up, "It seems like it's getting to be a habit for me to be lying on top of you, doesn't it?" Harry wasn't sure if Ginny realized exactly what she had said, but he flushed slightly.

"I might have to take Tonks' suggestion, you know that?" he said while he brushed himself off. "Anyways, what's going on with Ron and Hermione? I'm sure the whole house heard it." He could hear that the row was still going on down the hall, but was muffled as at least one of them, most likely Hermione, had been smart enough to close the door.

Ginny sighed and sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and ran her hands through her hair, trying to straighten it after their collision. "They've been like that for a few days, you know," she as if Harry should know this. "And no," she began, seeing Harry open his mouth, "it's not just Ron being an insensitive git. Hermione really has no idea what she really wants."

Harry, however, was a little too busy watching Ginny run her hands through her hair to fully pay attention so he simply nodded.

Ginny didn't seem to notice as she stopped straightening out her hair, much to Harry's disappointment, after a few moments and continued. "And Ron just tried to kiss her there."

Harry's attention fully reverted back to the topic at hand. "He tried to _kiss_ her?" he asked, quite unable to believe such a thing.

Ginny giggled and nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah, but Hermione was shocked. I mean they've kissed before, but Hermione is well… fussy." Upon realizing that Harry didn't have a clue what Ginny was trying to explain, judging by the blank look on his face, she hesitated and then attempted to explain in more detail. "Well, what I mean is… that well… Hermione is sometimes a little controlling…" she hesitated for a moment and caught sight of Harry stifling a laugh. "She always wants to be in control. She wants the relationship to go farther and Ron to step up, but yet… if she's not in control it's going to cause a rant… like you just heard."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "You just summed up Hermione perfectly, but don't ever let her know that I said that," he added the last part quickly.

Smiling again, which Harry was starting to like more and more, Ginny nodded, "Oh I wouldn't think of it. Ron's got enough problems dealing with her and I wouldn't want to place anymore burden on your shoulders."

Just then there was a loud bang from down the hall as the door to the bedroom which Hermione and Ginny shared burst open and slammed against the wall. Harry and Ginny watched Hermione storm out of the room, her face flushed red with anger, and then a few moments later Ron followed, calling out to her. The quarrelling couple stomped down the stairs angrily, saying a few choice words to each other and not caring who else was listening.

Ginny giggled. "They'll come around eventually, I think," she said getting up and moving towards the door. "You want to go for a walk or something? It gets pretty bad when the head around the entire house yelling at each other. Its like they want the entire house to know what they're arguing about."

Nodding, Harry followed the youngest Weasley out of his room and down the hall, taking the same route as Ron and Hermione had done just half a minute ago. After reassuring Mrs. Weasley that they would stay on the property as they passed the kitchen, they hurried out the back door as they heard Hermione scream something loudly from the kitchen ("I am _not_ a scarlet woman, Ronald! I will tell you when I'm ready!"). They could have sworn they heard Mrs. Weasley let out a huge sigh as they left.

The two quickly walked through the garden, which once against was filled with gnomes coming in and out of their gnome holes, and quickly made their way into a field behind the Burrow which contained a small, worn path to the Weasley's Quidditch paddock in a nearby clump of trees.

When the two had sat side by side on the top of the paddock wooden railing, Harry turned to Ginny nervously. "Thanks," he said softly, "I needed that."

"Needed what?" Ginny asked, curiously as she swung her legs carelessly.

"Making me laugh. I haven't done any of that since… well… since before… you know," Harry choked slightly, deciding it was better to not say.

Ginny nodded in understanding and without warning slid over right next to Harry, so the two were touching and took him into a huge, which was much more gentler than the two previous close encounters they'd had that day. "I know you did," she stated simply.

Harry pulled back for a second, staring directly into Ginny's shining brown eyes. "You're much better of a friend than I am," he said sadly, their arms still wrapped around each other.

"You are not, Harry Potter," Ginny said, her voice rising in volume as it always did when she was passionate about something. "Where did you get such a stupid idea?"

Harry blushed slightly, and hung his head, letting go of his hold on the younger girl's body. "I was a right prat all last year," he began, but continued quickly before Ginny would have a chance to protest, "And then with the Department of Mysteries and everything. I lead everyone into danger needlessly… and you… you and Hermione… and Ron… all got injured…" he was stopped as Ginny raised a finger and pressed it to his lips quickly.

"Now listen here, and listen well," Ginny stated quickly, pulling away slightly so she could look Harry in the eye, and keeping her voice even, though Harry could tell she was ready to start shouting. "I chose, Harry, _chose_ to go to the Department of Mysteries with you. I chose to go save Sirius because it was the right thing to do. I didn't go because I thought I had to, or because Ron was going, but because I wanted to. I got injured when Rodolphus Lestrange hit my ankle with a curse, snapping the bone, after I slowed down for a second since I thought it was safe. It was my fault, not yours. I just got careless and that is not a mistake I'll make again. You will _not_ be blaming yourself for this, Harry Potter," she stated firmly, before crushing him in another hug.

It took him a moment to react, but, down in the pit of his stomach, Harry felt some of the stress leave him as a great sense of relief passed over him. His friends, well, at least Ginny, didn't blame him for the Department of Mysteries injuries they sustained!

"And if you do keep blaming yourself," Ginny added sincerely, "I won't hesitate to use my Bat-Bogey Hex on you." Harry knew by the look on her face that she wasn't joking.

Harry pulled away, smiling faintly. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that," he stated.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "You want me to hit you with a Bat-Bogey Hex?"

Laughing, Harry shook his head, "No about the-", but Ginny stopped him before he got started as she poked him in the ribs and giggled.

"Oh Harry, you're far too serious, you know. You're stuck with me no matter what," she said, pulling him into another hug, her hair tickling across Harry's nose.

"Even if I decide to go stand in the middle of another Ron and Hermione row?" Harry asked cheekily, grinning.

Ginny blanched, "No, then you're on your own. Voldemort, yes, those two fight, no." She smiled, running her hands through Harry's hair, trying futilely to make it lay flat.

He pulled Ginny to arms length, staring at her intently, "Still, you have no idea what it means to me that I know I have at least you at my side, no matter what happens." Harry felt like he was going to choke on his own heart, though he definitely wasn't feeling the same way he felt when he was thinking of Sirius.

Smiling serenely, she leaned in towards Harry, brushing her lips against Harry's, before pulling away again quickly. "You've had me for longer than you know," she said softly, her cheeks turning pink, though not out of embarrassment.

For a few moments, all Harry could do was stare at the red-head before him as tried to comprehend his feelings. Trusting his instincts and the feeling his gut, he leaned forward and planted a quick kiss in return, which caused Ginny to lean towards him, causing the kiss to continue longer than Harry had expected.

They sat on the paddock fence, both leaning forward ever so slightly, sharing a reciprocated kiss together for the first time ever. When the pair decided to break the lip-lock, they both pulled back, their cheeks flushing bright pink. They said nothing, mainly because they didn't have too as they each knew what the other was thinking.

Ginny spoke first. "We should be getting back soon- mum will be getting dinner ready," she stated softly, still not looking away.

Harry nodded, still on a high and elated feeling. He hopped off the fence and turned to Ginny, holding out his hand to help her down. She giggled and took it, and they never let go as they walked hand in hand towards the Burrow. "Oh, and Ginny?" he asked suddenly, pulling her to a stop.

"Yes Harry?" she asked curiously as she raised an eyebrow, seeing a weird grin on his face.

"Remind me the next time I come face to face with Rodolphus Lestrange that I need hurt him," he said plainly. It was actually hard to tell if he was serious or not.

Ginny smiled confidently. "Thanks, but its ok, really. He doesn't have much of a face left after Luna blew up Pluto right beside the ugly thing."

* * *

Bellatrix landed off balance as the Portkey dropped her off near the paddock where Harry and Ginny were just moments before. She quickly drew her wand and silently, without moving her feet, gazed around the thin woods to see if it was clear. Spotting no one, she headed cautiously towards the Weasley's run down house silently with her wand continuously on the ready. 

She stopped at the edge of the tree thicket to scout out the field, and most obvious path to the Burrow, and spotted both Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, two people high on the Dark Lord's hit list, holding hands, talking happily with each other and just generally having a good time.

Swearing to herself, Bellatrix watched the couple enter the Weasley's garden, just on the other side of their short hedge that bordered around their house, shed and garden. She smirked to herself triumphantly as the Weasley girl spoke to Potter, and Potter nodded and headed into the house without her. This is exactly the opening she needed and was hoping for.

Bellatrix squatted down and crept, as quietly as she could manage, forward. She could see the Weasley girl's head every now over the top of the hedge as Ginny proceeded to pick some vegetables for her mother to be used in the evening's meal.

When she was close enough that she knew she wouldn't miss, she stood up to her full height and trained her wand on the spot where she figured Ginny would appear. When she saw a flash of red hair, she silently hissed "_Imperio_!" under her breath, praying that there was no one else within earshot.

Seeing the girl's expression go blank for a few moments, Bellatrix wordlessly commanded her to follow her back to the Weasley's Quidditch paddock. The girl complied without comment or resistance, which pleased Bellatrix. Perhaps she wouldn't even have to soil her hands.

Then again, Bellatrix knew that if she failed, there was a good chance she'd be dead upon setting foot anywhere near the Dark Lord. She decided to stick to her original plan instead of simply sending in this mere girl under Imperius to finish off Potter.

She had the young girl remove her flowery summer dress, leaving the girl with only her undergarments, as she rummaged through her robes, finally extracting a phial of thick and nauseating looking liquid, if you could call it liquid.

"_Diffindo_," Bellatrix muttered, pointing her want and the side of the girl's hair, shaving off a small lock of her bangs. She stuffed three long strands of the flaming red hair into the phial, which caused the putrid looking concoction to turn a bright orange.

Turning back to her Imperius victim, she conjured magical ropes to bind the girl, causing her to fall to the ground on her back and stare dreamily up into the sky. Canceling the Imperius Curse with a wave of her wand, she silently cast a silencing charm before Ginny could even open her mouth.

Immediately, the girl's eyes began to dart and look around, finally coming to rest on Bellatrix. Bellatrix herself smirked wickedly at the display of fear in the younger girl's brown eyes.

"Now listen carefully, little girl," Bellatrix hissed through gritted teeth, clearly loathing being forced to speak to the girl. "If you don't move a muscle or attempt to escape, I just _might_ let you live past today. I'm sure the Dark Lord would like to meet you after all I've told him about you and your little friends flocking to Potter's side in the Department of Mysteries," the Death Eater continued, cracking a wicked smile again. "Though I am tempted to simply torture you on the spot since Potter decided to deny me that pleasure a few weeks ago. However, Potter won't be around in a few minutes, so who knows what'll happen afterwards."

Ginny's struggling faded away, tears starting to appear in her eyes. She lay rigid on the ground, staring up at Bellatrix Lestrange with a great amount of fear.

"And now, I must get a move on my plan," Bellatrix commented as she gulped down the entire contents of the phial in her hand. Dropping the phial to the ground, she groaned and staggered around the paddock before leaning on the fence before she fell over. It took a few moments before Bellatrix could feel the effects of her bones shrinking and her face becoming more youthful with each passing second. She coughed repeatedly due to the taste of the potion, which oddly didn't taste as poor as the other times she had consumed it. She shrugged slightly thinking that perhaps she was just getting used to the taste.

Finally, the pain in her body subsided and she was forced to brush a few long strands of flaming her out of her eyes. Her robes were too large for her, so Bellatrix shrugged them off quickly and slipped into the summer dress that the Weasley girl had removed for her a few moments earlier. If she had a mirror, she would have admired her figure, but instead wordlessly hopped over the paddock fence and headed up towards the Burrow leaving Ginny Weasley, dressed only in her undergarments, crying silently from her position tied up on the ground.

To be continued.

A/N: Thanks to Chris (Sir Chris on for the Chapter title. I'm no good at coming up with interesting Chapter titles.


	2. The Rise

**The Mission of Bellatrix Black  
****Chapter**: 2 of ?  
**Author**: skarm  
**Rating**: M  
**Timeline**: Post OotP. I started this story prior to the release of HBP.

**Series summary**: Despite failing miserably in the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix Lestrange is given another chance to redeem herself by Lord Voldemort. Her task: Kill Harry Potter. However, she soon finds that it isn't as easy as she originally thought.  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own these characters. They are owned by JKR except for a few original characters I have created for the purpose of this story. Needless to say, I did not invent this world and am merely borrowing it for some fun.  
**Special thanks**: There's a good chance Chris (Sir Chris on has been my Beta for this chapter in addition to doing all my Beta work for Quest of Light.

**A/N**: So uhh... 10 months later I post chapter 2. Ironically someone just reviewed this last night. I said it would be slow updating as this was just a pet project to try a more descriptive writing style rather than a dialogue based one.

**The Mission of Bellatrix Black**

**Chapter 2: The Rise…**

Bellatrix Lestrange, in the guise of Ginny Weasley, hurried off towards the Weasley's household. She had only one hour to complete her task, but highly doubt that she would need additional time. It would be quite simply. While she was sure she could easily walk in and simply take everyone present out with some quick spells, but she then there was the chance that Potter would get wind of a disturbance and leave quickly. _No,_ she reminded herself,_ this will allow me to get close enough to him so that nothing will stand in my way. I _will_ regain the Dark Lord's favor_.

She reached the back door of the Weasley's house, if you could call it that. Bellatrix thought it looked like a run down shack with some extra parts added. It disgusted her that any pureblood family would live like this. Purebloods were supposed to live in manors and castles like the Blacks, Lestranges and Malfoys. The door creaked open and Bellatrix hurried into the kitchen.

"Well," said came a sharp voice from behind Bellatrix. "Where are they?"

Bellatrix whipped around quickly, causing her long red hair to fly over her shoulder and end up in front of her face. She brushed it out of her eyes angrily and stared up at the face of Molly Weasley.

Molly Weasley didn't look too pleased. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips and she was giving Bellatrix a glare harsh enough to scare any younger child. Her clothes, however, were repulsive in Bellatrix's mind. How one lived earning so little and having to wear such… filth was beyond her stretch of imagination.

When she received no answer, Mrs. Weasley advanced a few steps. "Ginerva-"

Bellatrix cut her by swiftly drawing her wand and firing off a stunning spell. With a second quick motion, Mrs. Weasley's body was levitated into the air before it could make contact with the floor, making a sound that might alert anyone else who was present. _Foolish woman_, Bellatrix laughed in her mind.

After binding the older woman with some conjured ropes and leaving her much like she had Ginny, Bellatrix stealthily scouted out the remainder of the ground floor. Having found no one, she proceeded to creep slowly up the spiral staircase.

She began clearing rooms slowly, making sure that no one was in them before she finally heard some sign of life. A grin spread over Bellatrix's face when she heard footsteps coming from the second floor of the house… err, shack, that the Weasleys lived in. There were only enough footsteps for one person to be in the place and moving around and it had to be Potter. Bellatrix crept up the stairs as quietly as she could and listened intently for any sounds of a second person.

When she reached the second floor landing she plainly heard the sounds of dresser drawers opening and closing. There were two near simultaneous clunks on the ground and the ruffle of fabric. "Getting ready for dinner, Potter?" Bellatrix whispered to herself triumphantly while he grin spread evilly. She quickly untied her shoes and tiptoed towards the room in her socks. Producing less noise was always a good thing and Bellatrix knew that if she could catch Potter in the state of dressing himself, combined with utter surprise, he would be a pushover. She was sure that his luck had run out this time.

With her forearm she leaned against the door and slipped into the room as silently, save for a small creak from the un-oiled hinges. With a smug grin, she pointed her wand at Potter, who was just pulling up a pair of clean jeans that weren't covered in soil or grass stains from the afternoon.

Bellatrix continued to watch as Potter, still not even noticing that his soon-to-be murderer was standing a mere few feet behind him, reached for a clean shirt that he had set out on his bed. _Perhaps a few nice blemishes for his back_, Bellatrix mused to herself as she watched the muscles flex perhaps a little too closely.

"Ginny! What are you doing in here?"

The comment jarred Bellatrix back to reality to see Potter hastily pull on a black shirt over his chest. When his messy hair, green eyes and flushed, embarrassed cheeks, had appeared he fumbled around his nightstand for his glasses with his right hand without taking his slightly squinting eyes from the witch before him.

"I uh… uhh…," Bellatrix stammered and was somewhat glad that in her daze her wand arm had lowered to her side. She slipped the wand under her dress and tucked it into the waistband of her panties, all the while silently cursing the Weasley girl's choice to wear a dress and not something simpler, as Potter put on his glasses and frowned, though his cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment. _Trust Potter to be embarrassed about his girlfriend sneaking into his room while he's undressing_, she mentally rolled her eyes. "I came to tell you that dinner won't be ready anytime soon." Bellatrix hoped that this would buy her some time. The sun from the window was casting Potter as a slight silhouette, though his emerald eyes still seemed to stand out as if they were lit by some form of magical light. This was quite a distracting effect, Bellatrix found, but that still didn't explain why she hesitated a few seconds earlier when she couldn't even see his eyes. _What in Merlin's name is wrong with me?_

"Oh… well…" Potter flushed again. "Next time knock?"

Bellatrix felt herself blush slightly and instantly shook her head rapidly to clear it, having just realized that she was blushing like a pathetic little school girl. Potter seemed to glare at her after she reacted to his request. He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed causing two of the members of the Chudley Cannons zooming to the other side of the sheet.

"Is it too much to ask that I just get some privacy?" Potter asked, frowning.

"Oh, uh, I meant yeah, ok, I was just feeling odd for a moment," Bellatrix replied before biting her lip. Her whole plan was falling to pieces. Potter wasn't exactly relaxing in her presence and she had already lost the element of surprise, though perhaps Potter wouldn't expect his girlfriend to simply attack him out of the blue. Still, Bellatrix knew that her target was resourceful and had an uncanny ability to get lucky. She decided to save that plan as a last resort and knew that she'd have to get Potter to relax around her again if she wanted this to be quick and easy. The witch took a few steps further into the room and admired the sleeping snowy owl that rested in a cage on top of Potter's dresser.

"Are you sure you're ok? Did you get too much sun?"

Bellatrix resisted the urge to frown at the boy's genuine concern. She headed over to the bed and sat down beside him which caused a few more Quidditch players to vacate quickly. She winced slightly as her wand poked into her ribs which caused her to regret wearing the summer dress. "I'm ok, I was just thinking about earlier-"

"Oh yeah, me too," Potter replied with a grin, though he immediately blushed again and looked down at his hands. He flipped them over to admire his palms. "I mean… yeah it was fun."

_Fun? Just what did these two_-, Bellatrix's thoughts were abruptly ended when Potter's head rose up and stared into her eyes directly. The mesmerizing emerald gaze didn't allow her to look away or think of anything else. Seconds later she was thankful that the boy didn't know Legilimency since her defenses were entirely down.

Potter hesitated slightly and ran a hand through his hair to calm himself, which did not go unnoticed by Bellatrix. "Ginny… can I… ask you a question?"

She knew she must have waited too long to answer out of surprise since Potter's eyes drifted downwards, breaking the effect they had on Bellatrix. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I'm quite ok," Bellatrix replied, somewhat irritated now, though slightly flattered as no one else had ever shown her any concern like this. "What did you want to ask me?" She was intrigued now since any private information she learned in this chat could be used against Potter's friends later.

Potter looked away again, embarrassed once more. "You… you do love me right? It wasn't just you saying that?" His eyes seemed to be pleading again, but unbeknownst to Potter they were boring straight into Bellatrix.

_What the hell happened? Did this Weasley girl tell him she loved him to get his pants down? I never pictured her as this big of a slut. _"Of course," she answered immediately despite feeling a smirk coming on at her private thought. This would definitely get Potter to relax and trust her. Soon she'd have his guard entirely down and would be able to finish him off with no chance of failure.

Much to Bellatrix's surprise, Potter didn't flush, but merely gave a slightly cheeky grin. "I guess you won't mind if I do this, then," he whispered happily, his breath warm against her cheeks. Without any warning, he leaned in further a planted a kiss right on her lips. Wide-eyed in shock, Bellatrix went rigid as her lips and spine tingled under the contact. She felt the playful tip of his tongue pressing in between her upper and lower lip, trying to work its way into her mouth. She resisted until he opened his eyes and fixed them, only an inch apart, directly into hers. She couldn't blink and only vaguely realized that she had slowly opened her mouth until she felt Potter's tongue entwined with her own. Feeling as if she was melting, Bellatrix closed her eyes and continued with a slight light headed feeling.

When Potter finally pulled away after what felt like an eternity, Bellatrix realized there was a sharp pain in her side. She gritted her teeth, reached under her dress, and pulled out the wand that was nearly puncturing her lung from when she leaned forward. _Wait a second_, she thought as she placed the wand within reach on the nightstand, _when did I lean forward. _It then hit her that she had just open mouth kissed Harry Potter. _What in Merlin's name is wrong with me? Did he put some sort of spell…? Imperius? A love potion?_ She continued to wrack her brain for the answer.

"Are you sure you're ok? Answer me honestly?" The green eyes were back piercing into her again and his eyebrows were knit in concern or perhaps frustration.

Mentally cursing herself yet again, Bellatrix realized that all the trust she was building up had slipped away yet again. "No, it was just… perfect, you know?" she said, hoping that would sound like something a lovesick little fan girl would say. She was, of course, kidding herself when she told herself that she was only saying this to play her role.

"Oh… well I'm glad you liked it. It was my first time like that," Potter said while looking away again as his cheeks reddened.

_That was his first time- wait, why do I care?_ Bellatrix shifted over again so that her hip was touching against Potter's. She had come to the conclusion that Potter had a very major weakness: He got very flustered and embarrassed when dealing with intimate or person situations and Bellatrix knew she had to use this to her advantage. She rested a hand on Potter's thigh and gave him her best seductive grin. It was very lucky that she was in the form of Ginny Weasley otherwise it would have come off as a very eerie smile. "It was very good."

If Potter could have gone anymore crimson, Bellatrix would have been amazed. Taking his moment of weakness, she pushed him backwards and down onto his back as she swung a leg over his body. She straddled his stomach while on her knees and letting her feet dangle over the edge of the bed. Shooting a glance back at the night stand and her wand, Bellatrix marveled in her plan. Make sure Potter's mind was entirely on something else and he wouldn't even notice her grab the wand from the nightstand. A quick Avada Kedavra later and it would all be over. She grinned as she leaned down to kiss him again. Potter mistook what the grin was for.

They kissed for a few moments longer before Bellatrix slowly rubbed her right hand over Potter's chest. She knew she needed to keep her left hand free to make a grab for her wand. Potter's eyes slowly closed as he moaned softly, causing Bellatrix to smirk. From the way she was straddling him and wearing the Weasley girl's dress it had to be driving him insane. It was rather nice to know that she still could seduce people the way she did when she was in Hogwarts. As her hand stroked his chest rhythmically, she reached back with her left hand and fumbled around the night stand.

"Ginny…" The groan barely escaped Potter's lips. Bellatrix was shocked when Potter reached up and pulled her down to kiss her. Her finger tips, that her just been touching her wand, were pulled quickly away from the nightstand and caused the wand to roll onto the floor.

After the kiss broke, Bellatrix had to find a way to get her wand back. Obviously getting off Potter wasn't the way, which meant she needed to do a summoning charm and that meant he had to be really distracted. Luckily, all women came adequately equipped to distract men when needed. Swiftly Bellatrix grabbed Potter's wrists and pulled his arms, placing them on her sides. Slowly she guided his hands up her chest, giving them little jerks whenever his fingers gripped and caused the material of her dress to bunch. Bellatrix smirked when she heard Potter gasp. She had forced his hands on her breasts. Though the Weasley girl's breasts were much smaller than her own, they seemed to be a lot more sensitive. _Perhaps Azkaban_, she thought, but then again how would she know seeing as Rodolphus, or anyone for that matter, had touched her like this in over fifteen years. _Bloody Rodolphus and his fifteen and sixteen year old muggles… some pureblood,_ Bellatrix thought bitterly.

It was odd, really. Bellatrix was quite unsure why or how Rodolphus maintained his hatred of muggles and muggleborns while going out nearly every night and Imperius some helpless fifteen year old girl. Before she realized what was happening, Bellatrix let out a moan of her own. She had entirely forgotten about retrieving her wand having been first lost in her thoughts and then lost in the emotion. Well, perhaps she could have some fun with Potter before killing him. It had been along time, after all. Her stomach, however, gave a painful lurch, seemingly unwilling to cooperate.

* * *

For all intents and purposes, Harry had died and gone to heaven. Though he was a unique fifteen year old boy in many ways, he had limits to maturity. Naturally, right now, he wasn't about to do anything to stop what was transpiring between himself and Ginny. With his eyes closed and his hands firmly placed where Ginny had wanted them, he sighed contentedly. This was the first time since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries and the death of his Godfather, Sirius Black, which Harry had felt at ease. Well, perhaps at ease wasn't the best way to describe his current state given how he was being straddled and the normal effects that would bring any teenage male.

Harry felt Ginny spasm and gasp, but just assumed she was enjoying this as much as he was. She had made similar noises a bit earlier and Harry really didn't want to stop anyways. It was only when Ginny's breasts seemed to begin magically growing in size in his very hands that Harry realized something wasn't quite right. Now, he was no expert on female anatomy, other than the time Dudley had set him up by giving him an adult magazine to read only so that he could call Aunt Petunia and have her catch Harry in the act, but Harry knew that this was not normal. Of course, maybe certain parts of a female's anatomy grew when aroused like the organ he had between his own legs. Harry sincerely doubted that he had been in another situation that would even make it possible for a girl to be aroused around him given that all his experiences, which were less than pleasant, were with Cho Chang and everyone knew how poorly that worked out.

The Gryffindor boy cracked open his eyes and gazed up at Ginny's form as the girl lurched again as if sick to her stomach. "Ginny-" he stopped mid-sentence and opened his fully. Ginny's fiery hair was turning black, and quickly at that. Her cute jaw and cheeks were becoming boney and hollow right before his very eyes. Within seconds Harry knew that this wasn't Ginny Weasley, but Bellatrix Lestrange, the murderer of Sirius Black. He felt the urge to throw up, but knew there'd be plenty of time for that later.

Harry quickly shoved forward with his hands which caused Bellatrix to flail her arms wildly, scream and fall off the bed entirely. There was a loud thud as the Slytherin witch dropped out of Harry's site and made contact with the floor. The Gryffindor wasn't the least bit sad about her painful landing, but more upset that he wasn't grasping breasts anymore. He quickly sat up and fumbled around for his wand. Cursing once he couldn't find it in either of his pockets, Harry looked frantically around his room and cursed once more as he spied it resting atop his dresser just beside Hedwig's cage.

There were larger problems for Harry at the moment as Bellatrix, now wearing an extremely short and _very_ tight dress, struggled to her knees and seized her wand which was on the side on the floor. The only way Harry saw out of this was if he could get to his wand, but that of course required him to get halfway across the room. He quickly kicked upwards with his right leg and brought his foot firmly into Bellatrix's jaw. Without even waiting for Bellatrix to sprawl backwards and smack her head on the floor, Harry scrambled off of the bed towards his dresser.

Harry quickly felt his feet leave the floor a mere two seconds after he had planted them there. There was a blunt smack on one of his ankles which sent one foot colliding with the other and finally caused him to slip towards the floor. He gritted his teeth in pain as Bellatrix's foot gave him another kick, but this time in his side. The air rushed out of his lungs as his enemy's foot connected solidly with his chest. He rolled over onto his chest and looked up helplessly at the dresser. The handle of his wand was barely visible hanging over the edge. He stuck out his hand and tried to utter the words for the summoning spell, but it came out as a cough.

The sound of footsteps alerted Harry to the fact that Bellatrix was already on her feet again, which meant that he knew the worst was coming.

"You're done now, Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, her voice dripping with venom. "I'll make you wish you were never born!" There was a trickle of blood on her dress now that traced back up to her jaw. Harry's kick had caused her to bite her lips or tongue and in the process made her bleed quite badly.

Harry rolled over onto his back just in time to see the witch raise her wand above her head and the door to his room burst open. There was a flash of red and then all Harry saw was darkness.

To Be Continued


End file.
